Our Mission Partners : Mary & Martha "Lost Sheep" Ministries
"Lost Sheep" ministries is operated by Bill and Irene Manley, through the Mary & Martha Mongolia Company.
Ulaanbaatar, the capital city of Mongolia houses half the population of the whole country of Mongolia - about 1.3 out of 2.7 million people. Since the fall of communism and the development of a young democracy / market economy, many people have fallen out of the safety net that guaranteed a minimum standing of living, food and accommodation. Adults and children, the poorest of the poor have ended up on the streets and living below the streets in the city-wide heating and water supply system. They exist by working the garbage heaps for food and for plastic, glass and cardboard which they sell to scrape together a meal every one to two days. Many turn to "vodka" which is much cheaper than food. Problems of health and abuse to one another are endemic.
At the same time there are those who hold on to what little dignity they have when approached ... giving of a few plastic bottles, a bag of cooked rice and a portion of meat brings an unexpected gentle "thank you" from a couple clearly trying to keep each other, body and soul together.
A number of well known agencies work with "street children" but few that we know of work to give adults dignity and a future. We think you can imagine the situation for folk in the winter, exiting the heating system into minus 35 Deg C to scavenge for a living. We don't take pictures of these folk in their time of desperate need ... we will when we see their lives transformed.
For four years we felt God was calling us to serve JCS International and except for instant response to people in distress, we were some how permitted to ignore the people of the pipes. Now we can no longer ignore the situation.
We hope to give immediate relief to people in the form of food and clothing. In the longer term we hope to be able to train people to make handicrafts so we can give them work through Mary & Martha Mongolia and enable them to have dignity, a place to live and a future.
We are owners of the Mary & Martha Mongolia company. Half of the company profits are used to forward Mary & Martha "Lost Sheep" Ministries. The company has only been operating for about 6 months, yet by the grace of God, expects to show a small profit this calendar year. However, 50% of not a lot is even less! So to help kick-start our ministry activity we will be asking for donations during our Home Assignment, and donors will receive a Felt 'Sheep' Brooch. The Sheep are made by our artisans, 'Mary and Martha' buys them then we personally buy them from the company. We will pay the UK VAT as we enter the country and - then we ask you to 'buy a sheep'. Through this process our artisans receive a "fair trade" return for their work, the company makes a small profit from sales, thereby putting money into the ministry fund in 2008. Then your donations above our purchase costs will help kick-start the "Lost Sheep" Ministry.
We have commissioned 500 'sheep' - in faith that these sheep will find a "home" with you and in the process some of the "Lost Sheep" of the under-city of Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia will have hope for tomorrow - and potentially will be able to hear about Eternal Hope for the Lost.
Can you consider a donation of about UKP 2, Euro 3 or USD 4 per felt sheep?
Bill & Irene
Points for Praise:
- About 30-35 Mongolians are receiving employment from our venture
- The company may do better than break even in its first 9 months
- The company will be registered for VAT next month as it has exceeded the minimum VAT free limit
Other mission partners :
